How I Use AI to take perfect notes...without typing

Thomas Frank Explains
20 Apr 202335:29

TLDRIn this informative video, the creator shares how to build an AI-powered workflow that transcribes voice notes into text, generates summaries, and lists action items, all automatically sent to a Notion database. The process utilizes OpenAI's Whisper model for transcription and ChatGPT for summarization. The tutorial outlines the steps to set up the workflow using Google Drive, an OpenAI account, and Pipe Dream for automation. The video also provides tips for crafting better prompts for ChatGPT and offers a glimpse into the Ultimate Brain template for Notion, which includes a robust task manager, project management dashboard, and a comprehensive note-taking system. The creator emphasizes the efficiency of voice notes for on-the-go thought capture and the potential for customization to suit individual note-taking needs.

Takeaways

  • 🤖 The video introduces a bot that converts voice notes to text and integrates them into a Notion database, providing a summary, main points, and action items.
  • 🚀 The workflow is automated and hands-off once set up, utilizing two AI tools: OpenAI's Whisper model for transcription and ChatGPT for summarization and list generation.
  • 📝 Custom prompts can be used with ChatGPT to generate different outputs, such as blog post drafts, from voice notes.
  • 📱 The process simplifies the note-taking process, allowing users to speak their thoughts into a phone instead of typing, and have them transcribed and summarized in Notion.
  • 📚 The video provides a guide on setting up the workflow, requiring a Notion account, OpenAI account, cloud storage, and Pipe Dream for automation.
  • 🔗 Google Drive is used as the cloud storage example in the tutorial, but alternatives like Dropbox or OneDrive can also be used.
  • 📑 Notion is used to store and organize the transcribed and summarized notes, with the option to use the Ultimate Brain template for a comprehensive note-taking system.
  • 💡 The importance of writing effective prompts for ChatGPT is emphasized for better output, with tips provided on how to structure prompts for optimal results.
  • 🔧 A step-by-step guide is given for setting up the automation in Pipe Dream, including dealing with potential errors and adjusting settings for successful transcription.
  • 📈 The video also discusses the limitations of the no-code approach, such as file size limits with Whisper, and provides an alternative code-heavy method for longer transcriptions.
  • 🔗 Links to resources like the Ultimate Brain template, a discount code, and additional tutorial materials are provided in the video description.

Q & A

  • What is the purpose of the bot built by the speaker?

    -The bot is designed to take voice notes, convert them into text, and then send that text to the user's notes database in Notion, including a full summary, a list of main points, and action items.

  • Which AI tools are mentioned for automating the note-taking process?

    -The two AI tools mentioned are OpenAI's Whisper model, which transcribes audio to text, and ChatGPT, which generates summaries and lists of action items and main points from the transcript.

  • How can the user customize the output of the AI bot?

    -The user can customize the output by changing the prompt given to ChatGPT, which can result in different types of content, such as a blog post draft, based on the voice note input.

  • What is the role of Google Drive in this workflow?

    -Google Drive is used as a cloud storage provider where the user uploads their audio files. These files trigger the automation process in Pipe Dream when uploaded to a specific folder.

  • What is Pipe Dream and how does it fit into the workflow?

    -Pipe Dream is an automation builder that integrates all the other apps together. It triggers the automation process every time a new audio file is uploaded to Google Drive, coordinating the transcription, summarization, and sending of notes to Notion.

  • How does the speaker's Ultimate Brain template for Notion enhance note-taking?

    -The Ultimate Brain template includes a robust task manager, a project management dashboard, goal tracking, and a comprehensive note-taking system that can accommodate AI transcribed notes, making it easier to organize and manage notes within Notion.

  • What are the steps involved in setting up the workflow in Pipe Dream?

    -The steps include signing up for a PipeDream account, creating a workflow, setting a trigger for when an audio file is uploaded to Google Drive, downloading the file into Pipe Dream's temp directory, sending the file to Whisper for transcription, using ChatGPT for summarization, formatting the output, and sending the final content to a new page in Notion.

  • What is the significance of the Markdown format in the context of this workflow?

    -Markdown format is significant because it allows for well-formatted headings, bullet lists, and other structured content. This formatting is preserved when the output is sent to Notion, making the notes more readable and organized.

  • What is the Whisper model's file size limit for transcription?

    -The Whisper model has a file size limit of 25 megabytes for transcription, which may limit the transcription of very long audio files.

  • How can users get around the file size limit of the Whisper model?

    -For users who need to transcribe longer audio files, the code-heavy version of the tutorial provided in the article explains how to overcome the file size limit by copying and pasting code into Pipe Dream and possibly into ChatGPT.

  • What additional features does the Ultimate Brain template for Notion offer?

    -The Ultimate Brain template offers features such as task management, GTD (Getting Things Done) workflows, a project management dashboard, goal tracking, a recipe tracker, and a mobile-friendly all-in-one notes dashboard with dedicated pages for each note.

  • How can users get support and share customizations with the Ultimate Brain template?

    -Users can get support and share customizations through the active and dedicated support team for Ultimate Brain, as well as by participating in a community of customers who are constantly sharing their own modifications and enhancements to the template.

Outlines

00:00

🤖 Building a Voice-to-Text Automation Workflow

The speaker introduces a bot that converts voice notes to text and integrates them into a Notion database. The process is automated and hands-off, using OpenAI's Whisper model for transcription and ChatGPT for generating summaries and action items. The video offers a guide on setting up this workflow, including tips for crafting effective prompts for better AI output. The speaker also discusses the potential for customization and the benefits of this system for efficient note-taking.

05:02

📚 Setting Up the Workflow in PipeDream

The video provides a step-by-step guide to set up the workflow using PipeDream, starting with creating a PipeDream account and initiating a workflow. It involves setting a trigger for uploading an audio file to a specific Google Drive folder and downloading the file into PipeDream's temp directory. The process includes connecting Google Drive and OpenAI accounts, selecting the appropriate actions for file handling, and using expressions to dynamically reference file properties.

10:02

🔗 Connecting OpenAI for Transcription and Summarization

The speaker details the process of connecting an OpenAI account to PipeDream for transcription and summarization. This includes navigating the OpenAI platform, creating an API key, and selecting the audio file type for transcription. The video also addresses potential errors that may occur during the transcription step and provides solutions, such as re-uploading the audio file if it's no longer accessible in the temp directory.

15:03

🕒 Adjusting Workflow Timeout and Adding ChatGPT Summarization

The video explains how to adjust the timeout settings in PipeDream to accommodate longer audio files that may exceed the default 30-second limit. It then demonstrates adding a ChatGPT step to summarize the transcript. The speaker emphasizes the importance of crafting a good prompt for ChatGPT, which consists of a user message, context, and system instructions. The tutorial provides a pre-written prompt for summarizing the transcript and discusses the use of delimiters to separate different parts of the output.

20:07

📝 Formatting and Sending Data to Notion

The video demonstrates how to format the output from ChatGPT into Markdown and send it to a Notion page. It includes a brief coding step to split the title, summary, and lists into separate properties and format the transcript into paragraphs. The speaker shows how to use PipeDream's ability to parse Markdown and dynamically reference values from previous steps. The final step involves creating a new page in Notion using the formatted data and setting properties such as the page title and icon.

25:09

🚀 Deploying the Workflow and Additional Resources

The speaker concludes the tutorial by showing how to deploy the workflow in PipeDream, making it live and ready to process new audio files. The video highlights the limitations of the no-code version, such as the 25-megabyte file limit in Whisper, and refers to a code-heavy version for handling longer files. The speaker also promotes the Ultimate Brain template for Notion, offering a comprehensive productivity system and active support. Finally, the video provides links to further resources, including a Notion Fundamentals course and a newsletter for updates.

30:11

🎉 Wrapping Up and Encouraging Implementation

The video wraps up with a final encouragement for viewers to build and implement the workflow for themselves, especially those who have many ideas on the go. The speaker thanks the viewers for watching, invites them to engage on Twitter, and suggests watching more videos or subscribing to the newsletter for more content.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡AI

AI, or Artificial Intelligence, refers to the simulation of human intelligence in machines that are programmed to think like humans and mimic their actions. In the context of the video, AI is used to automate the process of taking voice notes and converting them into text, summaries, and action items, which greatly aids in efficient note-taking.

💡Voice Notes

Voice notes are audio recordings typically made on smartphones or other devices for the purpose of capturing information or thoughts quickly. In the video, the speaker discusses building a bot that takes voice notes and processes them into text, which is a key part of the workflow demonstrated.

💡Transcription

Transcription is the process of converting spoken language into written form. The video script describes using OpenAI's Whisper model to transcribe audio files into text, which is a crucial step in the AI-assisted note-taking process.

💡Notion

Notion is an all-in-one workspace tool for thinking, planning, and organizing. It is mentioned in the video as the platform where the text, summaries, and action items from voice notes are sent to and organized into a notes database.

💡OpenAI's Whisper Model

The Whisper model is an AI developed by OpenAI that is capable of transcribing audio into text. In the video, it is used to convert voice notes into a text format that can be further processed and organized.

💡ChatGPT

ChatGPT is an AI language model developed by OpenAI that can generate human-like text based on prompts. In the context of the video, it is used to generate summaries and lists of action items from the transcribed text of voice notes.

💡Automation

Automation refers to the use of technology to create a process that performs a task with minimal human intervention. The video demonstrates how to set up an automated workflow for converting voice notes into organized digital notes within Notion.

💡Cloud Storage

Cloud storage is a model of data storage where digital data is stored in virtualized pools of storage which are generally hosted by third-party companies. In the script, Google Drive is used as a cloud storage provider to upload and trigger the automation process for voice notes.

💡Pipe Dream

Pipe Dream is an online platform that allows users to create automated workflows between various web applications. In the video, it is used as the automation builder that connects the different services (like Google Drive, OpenAI's Whisper and ChatGPT, and Notion) to create the AI note-taking system.

💡Markdown

Markdown is a lightweight markup language with plain-text formatting syntax. It is used in the video to format the text, such as creating headings and bulleted lists, which are then parsed and used by Notion to structure the notes.

💡Ultimate Brain Template

The Ultimate Brain Template is a productivity template for Notion designed to help users organize their tasks, projects, and notes efficiently. It is mentioned in the video as a comprehensive system that includes note-taking capabilities, which synergizes with the AI transcription workflow.

Highlights

The speaker built a bot that takes voice notes and transcribes them into text, then sends the text to a Notion database.

The bot provides not only a transcript but also a summary, main points, and action items.

The process is automated and hands-off after initial setup.

Two AI tools are used: OpenAI's Whisper model for transcription and ChatGPT for generating summaries and lists.

Custom prompts can be used with ChatGPT to change the output, such as generating a blog post draft from a voice note.

The speaker shares tips for writing better prompts to improve the output from ChatGPT.

The workflow allows for easy brain dumping of thoughts into Notion without the slow process of typing.

The speaker uses an Ultimate Brain template in Notion for robust task management, project dashboard, goal tracking, and note-taking.

AI transcribed notes are stored in a specific section of the speaker's voice notes in Notion.

The automation process is triggered when an audio file is uploaded to a designated folder in Google Drive.

Pipe Dream is used as the automation builder to connect the different apps and services.

The process involves uploading audio files to cloud storage, transcription with Whisper, summarization with ChatGPT, and then sending the formatted data to Notion.

The speaker demonstrates how to set up the automation in Pipe Dream, including connecting accounts and configuring steps.

Errors that may occur during the process, such as file timeouts or non-existent recordings, are discussed with solutions provided.

The importance of a well-crafted prompt for ChatGPT is emphasized, with a three-part structure of query, context, and instructions outlined.

The use of Markdown formatting in the output is shown to improve the layout and readability when pasted into Notion.

A Node code step is added to the workflow to format the title, summary, and transcript into separate properties.

The final step involves sending the formatted data to a Notion database to create a new page with the transcription and summary.

The speaker provides a link to a written guide with more details on the process, including a code-heavy method for longer transcriptions.

The Ultimate Brain template is recommended for an all-in-one productivity system in Notion, with active support and a community of users.

The workflow is designed to be useful for anyone with many ideas on the go, providing a hands-free method to capture and organize thoughts.